Kids bypassing Parental Controls (Time Scheduling) via band switching & MAC randomization on AiMesh

[Rana Imran]

Hi. I’m looking for some advice on how to secure my Parental Controls. I am currently running an AiMesh setup and relying on Time Scheduling to manage internet access for my kids' Apple and Android devices at night.

• Main Router: Asus RT-AX82U (Firmware: 3.0.0.4.388_25101)
• AiMesh Node 1: Asus RT-AX82U (Wired backhaul)
• AiMesh Node 2: Asus DSL-AC68U
• General Config: All of my family's devices are normally connected to the 5GHz band. Guest Networks 2 & 3 are active (2.4GHz).

I have Time Scheduling set up under Parental Controls to block the kids' devices at a specific time. However, when the lock time hits, the kids simply switch their Wi-Fi connection over to the 2.4GHz band and bypass the block entirely, regaining full internet access.

I assume this is happening because switching bands triggers iOS's "Private Wi-Fi Address" and Android's "MAC Randomization" features. The router sees a brand-new MAC address, assumes it's a new device, and grants it unrestricted access outside of my Parental Control rules.

I thought about using Wireless MAC Filtering or assigning Manual IPs. However, because both Apple and Android devices can rotate their MAC addresses, a standard "Reject" MAC filter or static IP assignment won't work? They will just generate a new MAC and bypass the filter again.

Has anyone found a bulletproof workaround for this on ASUS firmware? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.